School buses

04/07/2018

MACON, Ga.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The school bus industry opinion leaders have recognized that electric-powered buses are the future, and Blue Bird (NASDAQ:BLBD) intends to lead the way.

Following the overwhelmingly positive customer reaction to the unveiling of both Blue Bird’s Type C and Type D electric-powered buses at the school bus industry’s national trade shows (STN in Reno, NV and NAPT in Columbus, OH) last year, Blue Bird has been busy bringing the buses to the market in record time.

Since kicking off its national customer Ride & Drive events in seven markets in California in January, the Blue Bird electric Type D bus made successful stops in Nevada, Arizona, Colorado and Ohio. The bus is currently in New York and then will head to Florida, Ontario Canada, and several stops along the way. Ride & Drive customers include school districts, fleet operators, air-quality authorities and even utility companies, who gave unanimously enthusiastic feedback on the whisper-quiet ride, smooth acceleration and handling.

Key Attributes of Blue Bird’s first-to-market electric-powered school buses:

- Available in Blue BirdVision (Type C) and All American (Type D) models;

- Deliveries beginning in late summer/early fall 2018;

- 160kWh lithium-ion battery capacity provides expected 100-120 mile range on a single charge.

https://investors.blue-bird.com/news-financial-reporting/press-releases/news-details/2018/Blue-Bird-Electric-School-Buses-Take-to-the-Road-and-Taking-Orders/default.aspx

07/11/2017

RENO, Nev.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Blue Bird unveiled two new electric-powered school buses at the STN Tradeshow to nearly 1,000 live attendees and hundreds more on their live news feeds. Blue Bird introduced its all-new Type A Micro Bird G5 electric-powered school bus and then revealed its all-new electric powered Type D chassis which will power its Type D All American rear engine (RE) school bus.

Blue Bird chose to display the Type D RE chassis at the STN Expo so that visitors could clearly see the powertrain and battery components.

The Blue Bird All American RE electric bus chassis was developed in conjunction with California-based ADOMANI, Inc. and operates on an energy-efficient electric drivetrain supplied by Efficient Drivetrains, Inc. (EDI). The bus offers battery capacities of 100-150 kWh with an expected 80-100 miles range from a single charge, depending on driving habits. Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology is also under development for this bus, which allows the bus to deliver electricity back into the grid, allowing contractors and school districts to “sell back” energy to power companies. This helps to reduce maintenance expenses and allow users to experience lower fueling costs that will drive a lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).

Additionally, a Type A Micro Bird G5 Electric school bus on a Ford E450 chassis, which touts a range of up to 100 miles in a single charge, made its debut at the show.

Both the Micro Bird G5 Electric bus and T3RE “All American” Blue Bird bus will be available in 2018.

https://investors.blue-bird.com/news-financial-reporting/press-releases/news-details/2017/Blue-Bird-Introduces-All-New-Electric-School-Bus-Solutions/default.aspx